A Dictionary of Latin Words and Phrases

I bought this copy of the dictionary because my existing copy (which had suffered extremely heavy use over the preceding year, was showing signs of just how heavily it had been used. I'd returned to my fond memories of studying Latin for 2 years at school. I found the 'pamphlets' used back then had been published as volumes now, each volume covering the corresponding pamphlets.I was going back over 45 years, and my Latin was decidedly rusty. I bought all five volumes of the text books second-hand, and began at stage volume 1, stage 1. Eleven months later, I had completed all 5 volumes, and found myself completing stage 40. I moved on then to translating passages pitched at or above GCE level. I have my eyes firmly upon Caesar's commentaries on the Gallic and civil wars. I purchased the two Latin volumes with the purely Latin text, so no cheating in the translation would be possible.Despite my treating the dictionary with immense respect (and I have four other Latin dictionaries, my most prized being a hardbacked copy of Cassell's New Latin Dictionary, published back in the 1964, and in surprisingly good condition for its age. I was elated to have obtained it for £13.However, I digress. The Desktop Latin dictionary was showing signs of its heavy usage. The binding on certain pages was showing through, and it would only be a matter of time before the binding began to give way.So, I ordered (or tried to order) another copy, only to find Amazon out of stock. I placed the order anyway, and it took several months before it came back into stock. The dictionary was then supplied, but the binding on my original copy was still holding out. So I have put the replacement to one side, until the binding on my original copy begins giving up the ghost.It has a clear font, of passable point, and is set out in a manner which is easy to follow. I have no hesitation in recommending this dictionary as a worthwhile addition to any Latin library, and students at any level in the study of Latin should find it of immense value to their ongoing studies.

I had, perhaps naïvely, expected to find an alphabetical listing of some of the more common idioms encountered in Latin texts, particularly by certain authors. This is not what this very thin book contains. It is, as it says, a list of words and phrases, but they are words and phrases often used today, inserted into documents and speeches. I did not find this useful for studying Latin texts either for language or literary purposes.

This is a great compact reference of Latin words, phrases and quotations. For sure it's not as comprehensive and thorough as my combined pairing of Jon Stone's  Latin for the Illiterati  (mostly short expressions and phrases with some longer quotations) and his  Dictionary of Latin Quotations , but this is a good selection nevertheless for quick reference or simply dipping into as a bedside book. And it beats Ehrlich's  Dictionary of Latin Tags and Phrases  into a cocked hat.Unlike the two Stone books which are straight lists of phrases plus translation, many of the expressions are accompanied by extra pertinent information, such as historical background or more detail on the literary source from whence it derives. My only complaint, if you like, is that source information is not provided for many entries which look suspiciously like literary quotations rather than common expressions, which is a shame. But I'm fault finding in saying that. It's a handy little volume.

This book interests me because I have recently taken an interest in Latin which is suited to using the least number of words for expressing ideas. Often it uses half the words required in English for the same or similar proverb.There are more than 1000 phrases to do with law, religion, human emotions and even weather. The list, of course could be added to.Each phrase has an English tranlationMany of the phrases are attributed to the likes of Horace or Virgil and an explanation of the circumstances is included.One item surprised me. I did not know that the title fidei defensor had been given to Henry Viii by Pope Leo. Seem Henry and Luther did not agree.

I’ve always wanted to know what some of these Latin phrases mean. Now I’ve got something to tell me. I’ve had a dip in and it looks good, easy to read, if not easy to pronounce.

As a 'Via Media' or middle way ( I have just looked this up in the dictionary concerned), this is an ideal book for those who didn't study Latin at school; and doesn't want to learn the language but likes to use the odd Latin phrase to add polish or gravitas to a sentence.An excellent book that is easy to navigate; with proverbs translated into Latin, a list of Latin writers and a section with legal terms.Worth its weight in gold!

I researched which book to buy for my husband who has never tackled latin but wanted to start to understand it from scratch. He reports that this is great for his purposes. I thought that the mixture of phrases and word would be interesting without being too heavy....I didnt want to buy him a dictionary, or the like.....Anyway he hasnt finished it but has started it and is enjoying it

Learning Latin is one of my more restful hobbies; having become bored with crosswords. This book is excellent for reference or simply as background reading - so many words & phrases still in use today.